DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — As fall settles in, corn mazes and pumpkins are top of mind for many. Local business owners are hoping for a strong season and are preparing for the crowds to come.
Jen Guilette, owner of Red Barn Corn Maze in Forestville, says that although they only opened a few weekends ago, they're already preparing for the busy season ahead.
"Every year we change up the theme to keep things fresh," Jen Guilette, said.
Guilette says they’re gearing up for the rest of the fall season.
"For the past few years we’ve been averaging about three to four thousand over the whole season," Guilette, said.
Red Barn Corn Maze opened about four years ago, and since then, Guilette says they’ve come to recognize exactly when the fall crowds begin to arrive.
"What we’ve discovered over the past few years is that October is truly our busiest time," Guilette, said.
In addition to the corn maze, Guilette says more visitors are heading out to the pumpkin patch this year, thanks to a wider variety of pumpkins they planted.
"We really do anticipate more pumpkin sales than we did last year, just because last year was such a low year," Guilette, said.
Just up the road near Sturgeon Bay, Steve Sullivan, owner of Sully’s Produce Stand, says fall customer turnout tends to vary widely from day to day.
"From twenty to 150 people a day probably. We got a bad day, we’ll probably have 20–30 people," Steve Sullivan, said.
He says people don’t seem to be spending as much on fall decorations anymore.
"We've had in total sales increase every year up until this year. It's about flat," Steve Sullivan, said.
Sully’s Produce Stand operates as a self-serve setup and also appears at farmers markets throughout the county. According to Red Barn, the best time to visit the corn maze is in mid-October when it's at its peak.
